Tag: reading specialist

Want to make learning to read and write even more adventurous? There are many learning games and activities that will not only help your child or teen to become more successful in school, but will also be fun to play. Most of these activities can easily be created at home.

Successful writers understand the difference between strong and weak writing, and use that knowledge to create stronger drafts. In addition, successful writers revise and edit their own writing because they can read it critically, and know how to make it better.

When is it time to start working on reading skills?Right now. Reading begins with vocabulary, oral language, and talk. So talk with your child often. Talk and listen, share family stories, use new words, ask open-ended questions, be patient, and encourage word use.

Helping reluctant and struggling readers may be the hardest, but perhaps the most important, reading-related issue for many parents. However, take comfort that there is help! The first thing you may need to know is that, just as infants learn to walk at different times in their lives, children learn to read at different times in their lives, too.

While schools do a lot to promote and improve literacy skills in young readers, there is still a lot you can do at home to help your child succeed. Just because a child has learned to read doesn’t mean that he or she no longer appreciates, or wouldn’t benefit from, reading aloud with an adult.

Want to make learning to read even more adventurous? There are so many reading games and activities that will not only help your child to improve reading skills but that are fun to play! A few of these games have options for purchase, but most of the games can easily be created at home for free or with objects you probably already have at home.

After children have mastered pre-reading skills, the instructional focus shifts to vocabulary, comprehension, and fluency. Most vocabulary is learned indirectly through everyday experiences with both written and oral language. Many children learn new words through read-alouds, but also through conversation.

Reading specialists Kathryn Mullen, M.Ed. and Sue Megas-Russell, M.Ed. are the onsite coordinators for 2013-2014’s CLiF Year of the Book at Cutler Elementary School in West Swanzey, NH. Over this school year Kathryn and Sue will take turns guest blogging for CLiF.